The invention relates to a cleaning article, in particular for the hands, used in the absence of a water source, comprising an abrasive substrate and a liquid impregnating it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,003 discloses a stack of moist abrasive towels, the towels having at least one abrasive surface and containing any cleaning solution. The abrasive surface is obtained by projection of a melted polymer onto a polyolefin non-woven material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,971 discloses abrasive articles for cleaning the hands, comprising a substrate as before, and a hand cleaning emulsion impregnated into the substrate and comprising 2 to 40% of an organic emulsifiable solvent, 2 to 20% of a surface active agent that can form a water/oil emulsion, and 60 to 95% water.
The basic non-woven materials used in these two documents have a surface appearance and quality which is very heterogeneous, which render them aggressive to the hands and which give rise to problems in their manipulation, and particularly in winding and unwinding machines that cut off the towels because the accumulation of polyolefin can cause them to seize.
The cleaning emulsion used in the second above document of the prior art contains emulsifiable organic solvents, such as mineral oil, which are irritants. Moreover, the emulsion is unstable: by gravity, there is a separation with concentration of the aggressive solvents and it is therefore necessary continuously to mix the emulsion during impregnation of the non-woven materials.
The use of an emulsion also requires the use of a specific container, namely a cabinet containing a roll of continuously connected towels with a central manifold for impregnation with emulsion.
The invention permits overcoming these drawbacks by providing a cleaning article, particularly but not exclusively for the hands, adapted to be used away from a water source, which will not be aggressively abrasive, which contains no irritating solvents, which requires no continuous mixing of the impregnation liquid and which will not be limited to a single production and use.
The cleaning article is thus constituted by a substrate which is an abrasive non-woven substance throughout its mass and the impregnation liquid is an aqueous solution of d-limonene, surface active agents and hydrophilic solvents with, if desired, the usual additives.
The non-woven substance abrasive throughout its mass is obtained by use of a mixture of abrasive fibers selected from natural fibers, artificial fibers or synthetic fibers or mixtures, for example polyolefin fibers, for example polyethylene or polypropylene. These fibers are transformed into an abrasive substrate on their two surfaces by a conventional process for producing non-woven material. These fibers are if desired dyed in the mass if it is desired that the final towel have a particular color. A product of this type is available from AHLSTROM under the trademark SPUNLACE and is constituted of a mixture of 85% by weight of cellulose fiber (40%), viscose (10%), and polyester (35%), and 15% of binders (acrylic or the like).
The impregnation solution contains essentially an aqueous solution of d-limonene, surface active agents and hydrophilic solvents. It can also contain usual additives, such as perfume and preservatives.
The impregnation ratio is comprised between 1.5 and 4; there is meant by this ratio the ratio mass of the solution/mass of the non-woven material.
The surface active agents can be non-ionic, amphoteric, anionic or cationic surface active agents. There can be cited by way of example the following:
anionic, LES Na (TEXAPON-HENKEL): alkylsulfosuccinate and others,
non-ionic, (EUMULGIN-HENKEL): fatty alcohols and ethoxylated fatty substances and others,
amphoterics, (TEGOBETAINE-GOLDSCHMIDT): betaines, propionics and others,
cationic (CATIGENE-STEPHAN): quaternary ammoniums, derivatives and others.
The hydrophilic organic solvents which assist in the solubilization of d-limonene are selected from alcohols (methanol, ethanol, or higher alcohols), glycols (propylene glycol and others), organic esters and in particular dibutyl esters of glutaric, adipic, butyric acids, etc...
The following table gives the range of composition permitting obtaining an aqueous solution which will be limpid, stable and without any phase separation of the constituents over time, which shows that it is a true solution.